


happy birthday

by amyelouise



Category: The X-Files RPF
Genre: F/M, Gillovny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2016-06-11
Packaged: 2018-07-12 19:12:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7119001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amyelouise/pseuds/amyelouise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What's the best birthday gift you've ever received?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 2012

**Author's Note:**

> It's my birthday! And that inspired this little fic.
> 
> Although these are real people, this is purely fiction. Enjoy! X

His phone chimes quietly on the counter and he looks over at the text message from Melanie. He can see his kids sitting on the sofa, West playing on her phone and Kyd trying his hardest to distract her. 

_LOOKS LIKE SOMEBODY SENT YOU A LATE BIRTHDAY PRESENT. CALL ME._

He pulls his shirt collar away from his neck and stands up from his spot at the kitchen bar. "You kids ready to go?" He heard some dismissive grunts in reply and nods even though their back is to him. "I just gotta make a quick phone call, but put on your shoes. The table is reserved for 8." He pads into the safety of his bedroom before dialling Melanie's number, and he sits on the edge of the bed waiting for her to pick up.

"Happy Birthday Duchovny." He smiles at her warm voice. "Sorry this is a late call, I was going to try and avoid you entirely and let you have the day to yourself, I know you've got the kids."

"It's no trouble. Was the late birthday gift yours?" He can hear her chuckle on the end of the line and he relaxed slightly. He didn't care much for birthdays anymore, it was only a day that reminded him of how old he was getting.

"No actually. I hate to ask you so outright but... are you fucking Gillian again?" He certainly wasn't expecting that, and any tension that left his body surges back, leaving him breathless.

"Uh... um. Why do you ask?" His voice is shaky and he feels himself getting a little hot. He would be lying if he said he wasn't bothered by the fact that Gillian hadn't called him or sent him anything for his birthday. They'd been falling in and out of each other's beds for the past few months and he was sure it meant something more to them both than when they did it in the nineties.

"Just answer the question David. You know I won't judge. I know you and Gillian have always had a special relationship, and I wouldn't ask if it was just personal curiosity." She takes a deep breath and he begins pacing. "But I'm asking now as your publicist. Is something going on between you two?"

He stops still in his room and looks out his window to the view of New York, the sun still high in the summer sky. He hadn't told anyone about Gillian and him, not his kids, or his mother, or any of his friends and coworkers. "Yes. There's... something going on, but don't ask me to label it because I have no idea."

"Okay." She pauses again and he can hear her thinking. "Did you know her relationship with Mark was on the rocks? I mean... of course it's on the rocks if you're doing... something. But, seriously on the rocks?"

"She'd told me that things weren't good between them. I assumed as much, but we haven't really spoken about it." She murmurs through the phone and he sighs. "Why?"

"Because she's just announced she's left him to the press. On your birthday." He feels like someone just punched him in the gut, and he can't quite understand why. He should be happy, shouldn't he? 

"She... she didn't tell me she was going to do that."

"I thought so. I knew you'd have talked her out of it. Announcing it on your birthday David... it's a dangerous game. If she's trying to send you a message she's also sending it to the entire world. It'll get the rumour mill going again. Just... whatever you're doing with her, if you want it to stay a secret, I'd lay low for a while. The last thing you need is a picture of the two of you together after she announces that bombshell on your birthday."

"It could be a coincidence." His voice is weak and he's struggling to comprehend everything this small, yet mighty, move could mean. 

"Coincidence my ass. This is Gillian for crying out loud. You know she likes to stir up trouble." He nods to the empty room and sighs again. "I'm sorry for telling you this now, but I thought you had the right to know. As your publicist, you know I need to know this so I can deny effectively. I don't want to know every number in your little red book but this is Gillian... if some smart ass gossiper connects the dots then I need to make an informed statement on your behalf. I don't want to go denying things not knowing whether they're true or not."

"I understand, don't feel bad for asking. You needed to know."

"Okay... well. I'll leave you to it David. I hope you have a great evening with the kids." He manages a smile and a small laugh.

"Yeah... I'll tell them you said hi."

//

He could hardly concentrate during the meal despite his efforts to talk with his children, his mind constantly flickering back to Gillian. But he had a good night overall, the food was delicious and the company even better, and it isn't until later when he's alone in his bed that he lets his forced smile drop. His fingers pick up his phone and click on her number before he thinks otherwise.

"Hello?" Her voice is laden with sleep and it makes him ache for the lazy mornings they'd recently shared in LA.

"Gillian." He clears his throat and suddenly cannot think of what to say. He doesn't know why he called her. He doesn't even know what he wants to hear.

"Hey... David." He hears her yawn and he remembers that it must be in the middle of the night for her.

"I'm sorry. It's late where you are, I'll call back some other time."

"No no, that's fine..." There's a pregnant silence between them both and he imagines her lying on her bed, hair mussed from sleep and eyes glassy. "Happy Birthday." She sounds so small, like she's admitting a big secret, and he can't help but smile. He looks over at the clock that brightly tells him that it's twenty minutes past midnight.

"You missed it G-woman. My birthday ended twenty minutes ago." She groans slightly and he can hear the rustle of her sheets as she adjusts herself.

"I'm sorry... I don't know why I didn't call you... It's not like this birthday is any different to all the others, I should have at least dropped you an email like I normally do." He stays silent and listens to the sound of her still bedroom, his phone laid next to him on the pillow on speakerphone.

"I got your birthday present." Immediately her breath hitches and she makes a small noise in the back of her throat. "It was very... thoughtful. Or at least it made me think a lot." He hears her hum quietly. "I don't... Why...? I mean... Dammit I don't really know what to say." She chuckles and he smiles despite his confused emotions. "Did you... did you do it for me?"

"Of course." She doesn't miss a beat, her voice stronger now. "I know it wasn't the smartest move, and trust me my PR team told me time and time again not to do it but... I just... it felt right. The press had to know sometime and I guess I was too afraid to tell you that..." Her voice trails off and she becomes frail again.

"Tell me what?" He's intrigued but not letting his eagerness show through his tone. He doesn't want to scare her off.

"Tell you that I want to move forward.. with you. Tell you that it's totally over between Mark and I and that I want to... I want to..."

"Want to what?" They're whispering now despite the fact they wouldn't wake anyone up.

"I want to be with you... more... in a... more... um... involved way... Damn this isn't easy." She laughs off her discomfort and he joins in, his quiet giggles echoing through his empty room.

"We've never been good at communicating verbally, hm?" He can hear the sound of her head shaking against the covers and he's reminded of a time where their fights and disagreements were solved with a quick fuck, and I love you's were replaced with scorching kisses. They were almost living in denial with each other, and he vowed to never reach that point with her again. "I think we need to get better at talking about things together, but I do feel like we should do it face to face, rather than over the phone, and especially not at 5am in the morning."

"Yeah..." She sighs and he can hear the tight grasp of sleep begin to take her. "I wish I was with you now. I'd give you a birthday kiss." She sounds like a teenager talking to her high school crush, and he looks over at the blank space next to him in his double bed.

"Soon, okay? I'll come to London. We can exchange belated birthday kisses."

"I'd like that..." Her voice drifts off and she yawns for a second time.

"Go to sleep Gillian. We'll talk soon, I promise."

"Okay. Speak soon." Her goodbye is punctuated by another big yawn. "Happy belated birthday G-man." Her breaths become even and deep, and he stays on the line with her for a few minutes, imagining her soft sleepy breathing is coming from next to him, rather than two thousand miles away. He finally hangs up the call and puts his phone back on the bed side table.

He falls asleep watching the space he always leaves for her, and in his dreams, he's sleeping next to her, the covers around their naked bodies adding no heat in comparison to her warm embrace.


	2. 2014

She feels a rustle behind her and sighs as the warmth of his body presses up against her. A small kiss is planted on her neck, and then her jaw, and the sides of her lips tug upwards into a smile.

"Good morning gorgeous." His voice is still rough with sleep and she yawns as she turns into his embrace. She feels the length of his hard dick press into her thigh and giggles.

"Good morning to you too, it seems." He laughs with her before tilting his head towards her, his lips sliding across hers. He turns more fully towards her so he lays across her body, deepening their kiss. She moans as his tongue pushes into her mouth, exploring her, and her hands fit into his hair, dragging him closer to her. He breaks their kiss to brush his larger nose against her smaller one, and they both smile at the intimacy that they can now share. 

"Check your phone." Her brow creases but she reaches behind her on her bedside table for her mobile regardless. His lips find hers again and she almost forgets what she's doing, her phone slipping dangerously out of her weakening grasp. He pulls back out of breath and her head follows his, attempting to prolong their kiss. Her legs separate slowly, and she cradles his body in between the v of her thighs. She pushes her naked hips up towards him and he groans.

"Don't distract me. Phone." He nods to the device in her hand and she rests her head back onto the bed, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. She brings it up to her eyes and frowns.

"There's nothing there." He chuckles and places a swift kiss on her neck. 

"Check safari." She clicks on the app and opens up a new tab, waiting for his next instruction, still confused as to what trick he's about to pull. "Okay, now type in my name and hit search." Her brow arches and he does nothing but shrug. She moves her other hand to type his name, she hasn't yet mastered the art of one handed texting, and after punching in 'David D' she's pleased to see he comes up in autocomplete to save her the trouble. She clicks on his name and waits for the results to load, momentarily looking back at him hovering above her. He looks almost apprehensive, and he's watching her rather than the screen.

Her eyes flicker back as she sees the page fully load and they widen almost immediately. She stares, dumbstruck, at her small little phone, and her jaw goes slack, her mind shutting down completely. "I... I..." She can't manage speech just yet and her gaze is still glued to her phone. There, in bold letters, were words she never expected to see.

_**DAVID DUCHOVNY ANNOUNCES DIVORCE FROM ACTRESS TÉA LEONI** _

She turns back to look at him and she can suddenly understand his anxiousness. She lies there, unmoving and silent for a few minutes, just looking at him. He's about to move away, to shut his eyes and disengage from her, when she smiles. He can't help but smile back, and she drops the phone back onto the bed, her arm coming around his neck to hold on to him tightly. His mouth rests lightly next to her ear and he kisses whatever skin he can reach there.

"It's done now. I don't know why I didn't do it earlier, but it's done now." He kisses the shell of her ear and moves his lips to just above hers. "I love you." And just with that his lips seek out hers and he drinks in her taste.

"I love you too," she mumbles into their kiss, stroking the rough stubble on his cheek. "Thank you." His body presses closer against hers until they are joined and neither of them are sure where one ends and the other starts. All he can think about is the woman he holds in his arms as he gently rocks, and how she's all his. Her thoughts mirror his as she wraps her body around him, holding his embrace as they both seek a solace they can now only find with each other.

He reaches his peak a few seconds before her and he pants onto her cheek, his back sweaty and his muscles strained. She kisses him twice on the lips as her mind drifts downwards and her legs stop shaking, and he rests his forehead against hers.

"Happy Birthday," he whispers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! For any of you who didn't already know, both David and Gillian did actually announce their separation from their respective partners on each other's birthdays! Spooky huh? ;)
> 
> Also, I have a question to ask you all! What are your opinions on gillovny AUs? I have an idea for one but I'm not sure if I'm comfortable enough with the idea of writing it!
> 
> http://www.foxgrovebooks.tumblr.com


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